Please please please, would someone be able to help me with a burner issue that I'm having. I apologize in advance if this is the wrong place to post this topic... or if I sound like a total newbie.

Backstory: I have a Samsung SH-W162L CD/DVDW drive and a Samsung SD-616T DVD-ROM drive installed on my XP machine. They've been working perfectly since I installed the SH-W162L about two years ago. I was watching a burned .avi file this afternoon from the SH-W162L and everything was fine. Later today, I ejected the DVD and inserted a blank DVD+RW into the drive. Unfortunately, the DVD didn't register. Over the next 20 minutes or so, I determined that the SH-W162L drive is no longer reading media (burned DVD, purchased DVD, burned CD, purchased CD) and the SD-616T is still working fine.

Things I've tried so far include: rebooting countless times, disabling and re-enabling the drive, uninstalling and allowing the PC to reinstall driver, physically disconnecting and reconnecting drive (fiddling with wires, etc.). I can't seem to find the correct driver download from the Samsung website. The only drivers available are for a TS OEM code (whatever that means), while my drive is a LC code (I found this out by using the Wininquiry tool provided by Samsung).

Does anyone have any ideas as to something else I could try? Or maybe where to find the driver with the correct OEM code? I've been working on this for the last 3 hours and I'm starting to get frustrated :sad:

This just in: I’ve figured out that the OEM tag of my device (LC) means it’s a LaCie product (which is evidently made by Samsung because that’s how it shows up on my Devices List). Sadly, after a visit to their site to obtain the correct firmware, and after installing said firmware… I am no closer to reading media than I was before.

at first, please check if there are any error indicators in device manager and report back.

Or maybe where to find the driver with the correct OEM code?
There is no such thing as downloadble drivers for optical disc drives.
What you have found, are firmwares, which is something different. You may have a look into the FAQ (see my signature) to learn more about this

Thank you so much for your help! I really appreciate that this site is so well monitored and helpful. I read the link in your signature and it has cleared a bunch of stuff up for me.

I guess I was a little confused about the firmware vs. driver issue. I have the correct firmware now and I’ve installed it successfully. Device Manager indicates the drive is functioning properly, and also that the driver is a Microsoft version from 2001. This is the same driver my other DVD drive is using though, so I don’t think that’s the problem.

I just tried to get the drive to run from a boot CD and no luck there either. Is there any other possible problem that my drive could have, or should I just throw it out the window and get a new one?

Hi,[QUOTE=flashygirl;2235183]Thank you so much for your help![/quote]You’re Welcome!

I just tried to get the drive to run from a boot CD and no luck there either. Is there any other possible problem that my drive could have, or should I just throw it out the window and get a new one?
Trying to boot from a boot CD is a good idea to see if the drive is still alive. Assuming you have adjusted the boot priority properly (in Bios setup), then the drive might just have died for whatever reason.

A few things you can try before you bury the drive:
You may try to connect the drive to another cable of the power supply, and you might also check if the IDE cable is in good condition and properly seated.
If you have the opportunity, you may also try the drive in another computer.